First Round of US-Iran Talks Conclude, Mediators Say

High-level diplomatic negotiations in Switzerland over how to turn a 60-day pause in the war in Iran into a lasting peace ended early Monday, according to Qatar and Pakistan, the two countries mediating the talks.

The talks at a Swiss lakeside resort began Sunday morning, and Qatar and Pakistan made their announcement on social media after 3 a.m. Monday. They said the United States and Iran had agreed to several new mechanisms, including a “de-confliction cell” to ensure that military operations stop in Lebanon, where Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah have been fighting for months.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on social media after the announcement that “major progress” had been made to end the conflict in Lebanon. “1st real test: Lebanon deconfliction cell,” he added.

A U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations in detail, had said about an hour before the Qatari-Pakistani announcement that the talks were expected to continue into the night. As day broke in Switzerland, it was unclear whether U.S. and Iranian officials planned to talk further in the country.

On Sunday, Iranian negotiators insisted on an end to the war between Israel and Hezbollah as a condition for further talks, according to Iranian state media. The discussions were also strained by President Donald Trump’s renewal of threats against Iran, just as Vice President JD Vance said at the start of the meetings that the president wanted the talks to “turn over a new leaf” with Iran.

Trump said in a Fox News interview that he could do “whatever I want” after the 60-day period and said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has insisted that Iran maintain its right to enrich uranium, “better watch his mouth.”

Iran’s lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said on social media that the United States should be careful about issuing threats, adding that Iranian armed forces were prepared to respond.

“No matter how much they talk, it is we who act,” he wrote.

The U.S. official said the topics of discussion included ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open and enforcing the ceasefire in Lebanon.

Sunday’s talks were the first of the negotiations that are intended to end in a lasting peace deal.

According to Iranian state media, the talks focused mostly on Lebanon and did not touch on the future of Iran’s nuclear program. The managing director of Iran’s national oil company, Hamid Bovard, told state media that the lifting of sanctions on the country’s oil and related industries were also discussed.

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— Strait of Hormuz: Another key issue is the passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil and gas shipments which would be open for 60 days under the terms of the preliminary agreement. The status of the strait was thrown into confusion Saturday after Iran claimed it was closing the waterway over the fighting in Lebanon. The U.S. military said that marine traffic continued to flow and asserted that Iran “does not control” the strait.

— Nuclear program: The most difficult issue in the U.S.-Iran talks — what to do about Iran’s nuclear program and stockpile of uranium — has been left for later. So far, Iran has only reiterated its long-standing promise not to develop nuclear weapons, and the country’s president, Pezeshkian, said Sunday that Iran would “never back down” from its right to enrich uranium.

— Lebanon strikes: There were no reports of Israeli attacks on Lebanon or Hezbollah strikes on Israelis as of 10 p.m. local time Sunday. Still, it was not clear whether the new Israeli directive announced late Saturday would resolve the friction that led to deadly clashes Friday and Saturday and threatened to derail the preliminary U.S.-Iran deal.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Ephrat Livni, Aurelien Breeden, Isabel Kershner and and Yan Zhuang/David Guttenfelder
c. 2026 The New York Times Company

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